OTRC: 'Oprah' jury excuse gets juror off Blagojevich trial

A prospective juror was able to get out of jury duty for the retrial of former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich by saying she had a ticket to one of the final tapings of "The Oprah Winfrey Show," according to the Chicago Tribune.

The juror got her wish on Wednesday when the judge dismissed the woman only known as Juror 137.

Chicago radio station WEBZ notes that there could be other reasons why the juror was excused, however, no other excuses have been cited.

The station also got a reaction from Blagojevich, who is facing several corruption charges, about the dismissal. "I'm very happy that that juror was dismissed from the jury pursuant to her request so that she can actually go and do what is a once-in-a-lifetime thing and that is see 'The Oprah Winfrey Show,'" he said.

A reporter then asked if Blagojevich thought the "Oprah" ticket was "golden," a reference to a discussion on one of the phone conversations recorded by federal agents where he said his ability to appoint someone to Barack Obama's vacated Senate seat was "[expletive] golden."